Season 4  Episode 2: Peace and Love
by LilDeth
Summary: They managed to escape the UNIT but for how long? On top of that, they have Larek bringing news from the battle front and insight into an old enemy.
1. Chapter 1

**Season 4 – Episode 2: Peace and Love**

**Disclaimer:** Melinda Metz wrote the books and one episode. Jason Katims, Ronald D. Moore, Thania St. John, Gretchen J. Berg, Aaron Harberts, Toni Graphia, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner, Breen Frazier, David Simkins, John Harmon Feldman wrote the show. I personally have no rights to any of the characters or the story. This is for entertainment only.

**Author's note**: I was amazed and extremely pleased with the response of the first episode. Thank you so much to those of you that took the time to comment. It was incredibly encouraging. I only hope that I don't let any of you down with this or any future episodes. Important Note Part of this ep. exceeds the television rating but this isn't tv so I can do what I want. Lol Just be warned.

**Summary:** Larek explains himself. TLC all around. And a bit of crack plot. Enjoy!

* * *

"We can't stay here" Maria said panicked as they all filed into the single room of the motel. Michael went straight to the bed and sat down with Maria in tow. She hadn't left his side since they left the alley. "Just everyone calm down" Max responded rubbing his neck. He looked at Larek cautiously. The man had saved Michael but none of them were truly at ease with him. "I think you need to start talking. You said you were Larek. As in the Larek that possessed Brody?"

Larek looked at the teens and nodded. "Yes. That's right. Though as you can see, I came in person this time." Michael chimed in "Yeah about that. Why do you look like a human if this is your actual body?" That made Larek chuckle. "We don't look all that different from humans. The environment of our planets is very similar to the environment here so it makes sense that nature would see it fit to make us look similar. Though there are differences." Max didn't know how to take that. "Differences?" The man gave him a small smile then reached for the light switch. "Do not be alarmed. I will show you." Hitting the light, they were plunged into darkness. Max could feel panic start to creep up but then they saw Larek glow. Dim at first and then brighter. His skin was a soft white while his eyes burned green. "Oh my god" Liz muttered in the dark. He turned the lights back on.

For a moment he continued to glow until he closed his eyes and his skin returned to normal. The teens sat stunned. "I seemed to have rendered you all speechless" Larek said with a smile. "I do have to ask though. Didn't Queen Ava, er, uh, I mean Tess. Did Tess make it back to you?" The silence in the room was deafening. "Yeah she made it back to us" Maria said spitefully. "She's the whole reason we have to live like this. She brought the military literally to our door." Liz placed a hand on her friend's arm. "She… she died. When it didn't look like we could safely get Zan out of Roswell, she sacrificed herself so they would stop looking." Maria scoffed. "It was the least she could do after what she did to Alex."

Larek looked deeply troubled by the news. "I… I should have found a way to keep her safe. I knew it was a bad idea to send her back." Max was confused by the depth of emotion Larek was expressing. "Were you… close to Tess?" The alien swallowed hard and nodded a bit. "When she left Earth in the Granolith, we intercepted before she could make it to Antar. We heard of the arrangement Nasedo had with Khivar. I wasn't sure if Tess would welcome our interference or not. I was afraid we would have to restrain her but she was thankful. She understood that the Granolith is far too powerful to just hand over to Khivar. She stayed with my family in the final stages of her pregnancy and even assisted with certain aspects of the resistance. Her and my wife…" Larek paused a moment looking even more distraught. "Had known I was employing a spy for Khivar, I never would have kept her there. The day Tess gave birth, Khivar made an attack on my home. He knew exactly where the Granolith was kept. He was precise and exacting but even he didn't know that he wouldn't be able to activate the machine. He needed a true royal. His men captured Tess and my wife and took them to the Granolith. Tess began going into labor before she even made it to him. I wasn't with them. I should have been but I was detained. From what one of my men told me, Khivar threatened her and Tess did not waiver. Then he threatened my wife…" Larek looked at Max with sad eyes. The teen could tell that the story was hard for him. It was hard for Max too. There was still so much anger he held over her. The lies, Alex, the killing… She was exactly what Max wanted to avoid becoming. If he embraced that alien inside him like she did, would he do what she did?

"Tess reluctantly agreed to let him use Zan to activate the Granolith if he agreed to spare them and just leave with it." Larek continued. "But while the child was your heir, Max, he was human and therefore unable. Khivar was furious. First he… killed my wife… and then he turned to Tess and the baby. That is when I arrived. We fought but we were outnumbered. My second got Tess and Zan to a pod. She asked him to set the coordinates for Earth. I think she felt you would be able to protect them. I barely escaped at all but was able to hide the Granolith. They are still fighting. Khivar is attempting to rule over my home too now. The people, your allies, are losing hope. With every spirit broken, he gains more ground. That is why I have come. Your people need you Max and now so do mine."

* * *

The group needed a few minutes to discuss amongst themselves so Larek took his leave. "We can't trust him" Maria said as soon as the door was closed. Max looked at her squarely. "Are you saying that because he seems untrustworthy or because of what he said about Tess?" His voice was gentle but firm. "What the fuck Max?" The girl exclaimed. "He just comes out of nowhere and now we are supposed to believe that Tess was some hero? What about Alex?!" Liz moved next to her best friend. "Maria, I know it's hard to think about but… I think I believe him. She may have killed all those men at the base but I don't think what she did to Alex was intentional." Maria jumped off the bed and glared at Liz. "God, you too!? Alex is dead because of her. Our friend is dead and you are defending his murderer." She was trembling she was so angry. "Maria…" Liz started but her pouty lipped friend wouldn't hear what she had to say. Maria simply glared at the brunette and raised her hand. "No! Just… no." Then turned on her heels and left the room. Everyone sat there for a second then everyone looked at Michael expectantly. "Michael" Max said and motioned for the door. With a sigh, swung his long legs off the bed and lumbered after her.

Isabel still hadn't said anything. Her big brown eyes were lined with tears but none had fallen. After a few minutes she stood up and left too. Kyle gave Max a pat on the shoulder sympathetically and followed her leaving only the married couple still in the room. "Perfect" Max groaned as he sat on the end of the bed. Liz crawled up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her head rested against his back. He raised his hand up to her arm and caressed it with his thumb. "Did you mean what you said… about Tess?" He asked softly. "Yes" she replied just as quietly. "When I drove her to the base, we had a chance to talk. I was so mad at her, Max, but she looked so… sorry. She told me that you always thought of me when you were with her. That she could see it in your head. I can't imagine what it must have been like for her. To be raised by a man like Nesado with only one dream… to find her family… to find you. Then to find out that you loved me. We never really accepted her except Kyle. I was so scared of losing you to this grand destiny that I never wanted to get to know her. I've had a long time to think about her this summer. What would I have done if I were her? All alone. Every dream I ever had wrapped up in a man that was in love with someone else. Then to be pregnant?" She squeezed him a little tighter. "If I had been Tess I would have wanted to go home too."

Max turned to look at her. "But you wouldn't have killed people." Her pause disturbed him a bit. "I'd like to think I wouldn't. Just like I didn't vote to turn her in but the truth is Max… I don't know. She didn't have parents like we did. She didn't have friends like Michael did to care about her. She had Nasedo. That's it. No love, no home, just survival and that one dream." Max looked into her eyes in awe. The depth of this woman continually astounded him. He could live for a hundred years and never meet another woman half as intelligent, beautiful, or sweet. Cupping her cheek, he kissed her gently. Just the barest brushing of lips but it sent a familiar jolt through him. He wanted to get lost in that kiss but his thoughts brought him back. "I just can't help but think how she lied us. To me. That she went behind our backs with the translation thing and Alex died because of it. Then to turn around and kill all those men at the base. Innocent people just doing their jobs."

Liz looked at him and stroked the side of his face. "I know."

* * *

She was lying on her side staring at the wall when Michael came in. These sorts of situations always made him uncomfortable. He just didn't do emotions well so being with someone like Maria was almost torture at times.

Crossing the room, he sat on the bed next to her and patted her hip. At first she didn't acknowledge his presence then all at once she rolled over and wrapped her arms around him. She had caught him a little off guard but he recovered quickly by enveloping her in his embrace. "I miss him so much. I miss everything so much. My mom. Roswell. Even the Crashdown. How can they even talk about forgiving Tess when she took all that away from us?"

Michael kept his mouth shut. For him, Roswell hadn't been home. It had been a temporary pit stop in the journey of his life. The only thing that even resembled home was the people with him now. He rubbed her back softly. Michael knew she was crying. He could feel the hot wetness of her tears coming through his shirt. At least she wasn't screaming or making a fuss.

After a few minutes, she shifted so her face was buried in his neck. She lifted a hand to his neck and pushed his hair away. He could feel her soft lips on his pulse as she started to kiss him. Michael's eyes closed as his hand slid under her hair and caressed the back of her hair. It caused her to look up at him. First his eyes then his mouth. Michael knew she was waiting for a kiss and he didn't intend to make her wait very long. His full mouth lowered to hers and she sighed. This was more like it.

She moved around to straddle him without breaking the kiss. Michael had to shift her so not to hurt him. He'd almost died today and now Maria seemed bent on having sex. It was enough to get any man's blood pumping. Her slender fingers tugged up his once blood soaked shirt and he let her break the kiss so she could pull it over his head. The room was a bit cold but her hot touch was enough to shed the chill. Their mouths moved over each other's feverishly while Michael worked to get her top off as well. It wasn't coming off as quickly as he wanted so he used his power to rip it from her body. This got a squeal of surprise from her but she didn't stop kissing him.

Finally, Michael needed more so he turned and rolled them onto the bed with him on top. His hands moved between their bodies and unbuttoned her pants then his own. They both squirmed out of the remains of their clothes. "Wait Michael! The door!" Maria gasped as he was positioning himself above her. "It's locked" he breathed against her skin. "Kyle has a key, Brainiac." Rolling his eyes, he lifted a hand to the door and melted the lock to the frame. "There" he replied. He could tell she was going to say something so he covered her mouth quickly with his and slid into her. She gasped against his mouth again then adjusted to him and his rhythm.

They didn't need ceremony. Neither of them could have stopped or slowed down. She held on to him for dear life as he took them higher until the sweat shone over their skin and their pants were practically in unison. He knew he wouldn't be able to last but thankfully she was making that mewi sounding noise he liked and knew she was as close as he was. Michael felt her tense under him and her muscles clamp down over him then they were both propelled into their respective flashes as their souls touched. He pulled her as close as he could as they tried to catch their breath. He'd felt her terror at seeing him dying. He felt her confusion over Larek. But most of all her felt her longing for home. It was stronger now than it had ever been and for a second he was afraid of what that could mean for them.


	2. Chapter 2

They hadn't said anything since leaving the room over an hour before. Isabel needed to walk and think. Kyle knew that she let him be there but understood that she could just as easily dismiss him. So he was just happy to be there with her. She didn't let one tear fall. Not one. But her eyes broke his heart. He wondered if he could ever get her to love him the way she loved Alex or even Jesse. That was the only reason he was still with all of them. Well, that and he knew he had some alien parting gift just waiting around the corner ready to pop up. He just couldn't let go of the hope that given enough time she would turn to him and realize that they were perfect for each other.

When they got back to the motel, she didn't stop at Max and Liz's room. He guessed that she just wanted to go to bed. It had been a really crazy day. Kyle watched her reach for the door but it wouldn't budge. He pulled out the key but she didn't wait she held her hand over the knob to unlock it. "Hold on" Kyle could hear Michael say through the door before some banging and a lot of shuffling. Isabel squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from the door.

After about a minute, a flash of light appeared through the crack of the door and Michael opened it. "Hey" he said playing it cool. Kyle couldn't help but smirk but Isabel didn't look happy as she glared at him on the way in. "I'm taking a shower. Air the room out." Kyle noticed Maria's cheeks burn pink. He felt kind of sorry for her. He would have apologized for the blonde's behavior but that would have only pissed her off further. Instead he started getting ready for bed.

* * *

Max had them all meet at the corner diner for breakfast after an early morning wake up call from Larek. Isabel almost didn't go. It meant skipping her run and she hated messing with her routine. Especially if she was going to have to endure both sets of shiny, happy couples. Max and Liz were perpetually adorable. She'd almost grown used to it but when Michael and Maria were lovey dovey, Isabel just wanted to scream. Why didn't it ever seem to work out for her but both of them found what she longed for on the first try? She loved Jesse but no one had loved her like Alex and when he died she felt empty. Her love fore Jesse managed to fill it for a while but the longer they were apart the wider that void became.

"So what are we doing here?" Isabel said as she slid into the booth. Larek was there with Max and a groggy looking Liz. Kyle slid in next to her and put his arm on the seat behind her head. "Let's wait until Michael and Maria get here before we start" Max said evenly as he scanned the menu. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath. She knew she was being bitchy but she didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be anywhere but this stupid diner at 7:40 am really held no appeal. It only looked less appealing when she caught Michael walking with long strides over to the table. Maria was walking quickly behind trying to keep up. She looked happy and Isabel resented it. If she hadn't been blocked in she might even have left. "Isabel, are you okay?" Her brother asked as he reached across the table. She moved her hand out of his grasp. "I'm fine." It was obvious she was not okay but no one dared press her further.

As soon as orders were made and they had a little more privacy, Max started. "We need to figure out what we are going to do." Michael sipped his water. "We could still go to Canada." Larek shook his head. "They will be expecting you to flea and north is the logical direction. If your enemies expect you to be somewhere, don't be there. I suggest that for at least a while, we stay here. I have procured a residence." Maria's face changed from the dreamy eyed look the minute Larek started talking. "We can't stay here. They will be looking for us here." Kyle nodded in agreement but Larek's face was unchanging. "We will simply have to make them think that we have left." Michael was going to say something when the food arrived and everyone went quiet.

They all started to eat when Michael finally looked back at Larek. "How would we make them think we left?" The alien smirked and tilted his head toward another table. Five men and two women sat there with a mountain of food on the table between them. They looked like they had just wandered out of a Phish concert. Isabel could even see Birkenstocks. "How are a bunch of stoners going to help us make the UNIT think we are gone?" she asked really not seeing the connection. Michael smiled. He must have understood. "We give the van to them and give them some phony address for the best place to score weed. We can say it was like Jerry Garcia's personal hook up or something. No way they would pass that up." Michael said laying the plan out. Honestly, it sounded viable even if it did leave them with out transport. "Won't they be paranoid about strangers giving them a van?" Liz asked. "Nah. We will just tell them it was Jerry's van and his last wish was that it and the knowledge be passed on from person to person like a right of passage." Isabel was a bit impressed. That could work. "Well, you can't give it to them looking like we do. They would never believe that we were Garcia's chosen few. Come on Sparkle and Moon Dust." Isabel said to Liz and Maria. "I'll fix us up in the bathroom. You guys can take care of Kyle and Larek, right?" Max nodded and the girls headed for the ladies room.

* * *

The transformations were comical at best. Liz (Moon Dust) was decked out in a bohemian tier skirt, shirt made of hemp and sandals. Maria (Sparkle) got the special treatment with extremely low rise pants, heavily embellished baby doll top, pigtails and body paint. Isabel (Felicity) went with a flowy patchwork sundress and braids pulling back the shoulder length hair from her face. Liz couldn't help but laugh when she saw the boys. Michael (Marley) was sporting dreadlocks and a tunic. Larek (Om) had a tie died shirt with a heart in the center of it. Max (Dylan) wore a bucket hat and head to toe denim with a medallion that hung almost to his navel. But Kyle (Trent) was the worst. He had a thick mustache, a vest, and Birkenstocks. "Not a word" he warned the girls when the giggling started. Even Isabel couldn't help but crack a smile. They looked ridiculous.

"How do we know that the UNIT will follow the van out?" Liz asked Larek before they moved toward the hippies. "They have had the van under surveillance since early this morning. I heard one speaking to another saying that reinforcements would be needed before they could make their move. They know that we can change our appearance. So as long as 7 get into the van, they will assume we are in disguise." Larek replied. Liz could only shrug.


	3. Chapter 3

Isabel decided that with the abundance of men at the table, the best way to get them was to send in the girls and Michael. He was sort of back up in case not all the men at the table were open to what her, Moon Dust, and Sparkle had to offer. "Why me? Why not Max or Larek?" Michael questioned obviously not the easiest about being the gay hippie eye candy. Isabel came over to him, straightened his tunic and picking off imaginary lint. "Oh come on, Michael, you know with a mouth like yours you are like every gay man's wet dream." He jerked back. "Jesus, Isabel!" Max and Kyle burst out laughing. "Besides," she continued with a smirk. "There are girls at that table too. In case, they are the catty types and don't take kindly to us moving in on their men, we need a hunky distraction." He pursed his lips, still not happy about going but more willing to go as long as he could focus on the girls. Besides, he really didn't like the idea of Maria flirting with anyone. She had a tendency to throw herself into a roll and he wanted to be able to pull her back if he had to.

Heading over to the table, Michael/Marley hung back a bit while Isabel/Felicity took the lead. The men at the table looked up slowly as their jaws dropped a bit. The girls at the table were good looking but these guys weren't accustomed to anything like the leggy Evans girl. Adding Liz, Maria, and Michael into the mix they looked like they were Hollywood's solution to what a hippie should be. "Hey" Felicity purred as she stepped up to their table. "We couldn't help but notice you guys over here and we thought we would come over and introduce ourselves. I'm Felicity. This is Moon Dust, Sparkle, and Marley." A dark looking man near the window, raised an eyebrow. "Sparkle and Moon Dust? Are you serious?" Sparkle stepped forward and leaned down to look at him giving the table a healthy view of her cleavage. "We changed it. We didn't feel that our corporate scum of parents had any idea of who we were so we cleansed ourselves of our parent's predetermined course for our lives and went through a rebirth. I just_felt_ like a Sparkle. Moon Dust felt the same way." Isabel pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. She looked over at Michael and Liz. They were doing the same thing but the people at the table were nodding as though what she was saying was gospel.

"That's cool. Why don't you guys pull up a table and join us? I'm Zack. This is Trey, Ethan, Logan, Crystal, Manny, and Talia." The darker man said.

* * *

Max/Dylan, Kyle/Trent, and Larek/Om came over as the tables were being rearranged with everyone's food. Once they were all seated, Felicity smiled. "So, you guys from around here or just on you way to Canada?" Logan smiled back. "We're locals but we've been to Canada plenty of times." From the smell of pot on their clothes, the pod squad knew exactly why. Om was a little slower on the up take though. "For your reality altering substances, correct?" The other table roared. "Haha. I like that." Trey said through his chuckling, shaking his head. "Reality altering. Dude, Om was it? You're a trip, man." Michael tried to cover. "Yeah, we had a little of Canada's finest ourselves this morning. My man's not all together here. But man, if you had hit it, you wouldn't be here either. This stuff was choice. Gar…" Dylan cut him off. "Marley!" Moon Dust chimed in. "Yeah I thought we agreed to wait till we got to California before we told anyone." Marley shrugged. "I don't, guys. They look okay to me." Sparkle nodded and Felicity said "I'm with Marley. We should tell them."

"Tell us what?" Crystal asked with wide eyes. They all looked intrigued. Liz couldn't' help but smile. They were too easy. "Well, I guess we can tell you. We've just come back from Canada and we found the most amazing place. It's a commune Jerry Garcia himself set up but its hidden away so no one can find it but those who know where to look. See that van outside?" She said pointing out the window and down the street a bit. Apparently, right before he died, Garcia gave that van to the first of us and gave 2 men the address to the commune. He told them that they could go but only if they promised no to stay but instead give the van to others equally worthy to find for themselves. So they did and the van has just been passed on over and over for years. We got the van from a husband and wife in Utah." Marley stared them down with his best attempt at serious face. Not an easy feat considering the comical nature of this plot. "Dude, it was choice. Free love, free pot, and plenty of music. It felt like heaven. I wanted to stay." Isabel touched Trey closest to her. "We all did but we couldn't kill the tradition. So we are on our way to California to give someone else the van and tell them how to get there."

The grouped looked a bit in shock. Finally, Zach spoke up. "Well, why go all the way to California? Why not give it to us?" Trent sat forward. "Look, you all seem like a really down group of people but this is Garcia's legacy. How do we know you deserve it?" Crystal and Talia exchanged a glance. "Well, I'm sure if you gave us a tour of the van we could show you just how deserving we are." Trent's jaw dropped. "I say we give it to them." Moon Dust said grinning at Trent. "Unless of course, Trent _wants_ to give them a tour." He sputtered a bit and looked at the suddenly serious looking Felicity. "I think we can trust them" he said finally.

* * *

They all lingered at the door as Marley handed Trey the keys. "Now remember, you can't let anyone stop you. Not even cops. Just get to Canada as fast as you can. Oh and second gear sticks a bit." The group seemed eager to start their quest. They practically speed walked to the van. The pod squad watched from diner. Max held Liz's hand. "We should follow." Michael and Larek turned to him. "What? No. The point is that they draw the UNIT away from us. If we follow them, it defeats the purpose."

"What if the UNIT catches them before they get to Canada? Someone could get hurt and they will come back here to find us." Max replied. Michael sighed and pushed through the group toward the side door exit. Outside there were about 3 motorcycles. Holding his hand over the ignition, he made it start and hopped on. Maria came out the door with the other close behind. "Where are you going?" she asked. "King Max needs reassurance." He replied sarcastically and sped off.

Larek turned to Max. "I think we should get your things and get everyone to the safe house." Max was hesitant but then slowly nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

Michael was riding behind the black sedan that was following the van. He tried to keep an eye out for other possible UNIT vehicles but didn't see any. He thought for a moment that they might get away without incident They were within 2 miles of the border when Michael could see the blockade ahead. The police cars were obvious but what worried him were the 3 black SUVs and 2 more black sedans "Shit" he mumbled to himself. Unsure what to do, he lifted a hand and blew the tires of the sedan. He had to swerve big to avoiding hitting them before speeding up to get along side the van. There were other cars around but he had to act fast.

Getting along side the van, he reached out and placed a hand on it. Slowly the color began to change from light blue to black. At the same time, he changed the license plate. Michael started to slow down. He had no intention of getting too close to all those agents. As he hit the brakes, his eyes glanced at the window and there was Crystal wide eyed and watching him.

The van was waved down to be stopped and Michael watched from a distance as the good little stoners breezed right past them. The police were still scrambling to their cruisers while the black government vehicles took off after the fugitives. The plan was working. The agents were tearing after the van thinking the teens were inside. For just a moment, Michael began to worry that maybe they had done the wrong thing. He just had to remind himself that the people in the van were all completely human. A simple blood test could confirm that easily. If they were caught, they may get in some trouble for going through the blockade but hopefully they would get caught.

* * *

"This is nice," Kyle said sarcastically as they pulled up to the rundown house in the car Larek borrowed for them. "Real homey, Larek. We don't look like fugitives at all. All we need now is a sign out front that says 'nefarious deeds afoot' or 'secret hideout'. Larek glanced back to him. "Would you prefer something flashier? We can fix it up. It's away from major roads, in fairly good shape, and 4 bedrooms. It will be sufficient."

Kyle could help but look over at Isabel and chuckle at the sour face she was making. A summer on the road hadn't been enough to overcome her cozy upper middle class upbringing and this place was a dump. Just then her cell phone went off. "It's Michael" she said before she even got it out of her pocket. After a few minutes, she snapped it shut and turned to Max and Larek. "They are in Canada but they were being chased by agents." Kyle walked over. "They won't have jurisdiction. Even if they manage to catch them, they will have to be detained until Canadian police can take care of it. Otherwise they will have a lot of questions to answer." They all nodded and Isabel turned back to the house. "Well, if this is where we are going to stay for a while, we'd better get to work."


End file.
